Life with the Christmases
by disneylover3212008
Summary: A series of one-shots about the Christmas family and their newest resident: Molly. Companion to Scrooged!
1. Chapter 1

Nightmares

Molly hated the nightmares, hated re-living the worst parts of her life on repeat as her brain just seemed to want to make her miserable. They would always sneak up on her during some of the best days of her life, shattering a peaceful sleep. She would wake up in her bed sweating and crying- the first a particularly difficult feat in her new home.

He'd ask why she didn't look so good and wasn't acting like Molly. She'd just say that she wasn't feeling well but would be fine and that was that. Arthur shouldn't have to add her to his list of worries since he already had to bring happiness to the entire world. And part of her was scared to tell him. Molly hated weakness, and in her mind this was about as weak as one could get.

But one May night she just couldn't take it anymore. She awoke shaking and shivering through every inch of her body and knew she didn't want to be alone in this massive ice room. Don't get her wrong, it was very nice and homey. She really did love living at the North Pole. But right now she was going to threaten that by breaking the rules. She grabbed the cover off her bed, threw on her favorite pair of slippers, and walked out the door.

She crept through the labyrinth of halls, sliding across the ice on her slippers. She tried to keep as quiet as possible, even though she was positive very passing room could hear her heart thumping out of her chest. Finally, she reached his door- open of course. She had to pause as she saw him all tucked away in his bed. He looked so peaceful and at ease, something she never really got to see anymore during the work day.

Molly crept her way over and noticed a pile of different sorts of wrapping papers taking up half the bed. She gently set them on the floor and climbed up as silently and slowly as possible so she wouldn't wake him.

"Molly?" Well, that had gone well. "What are you-"

"I'm having trouble sleeping. I know your parents have their rules and expectations and stuff like that, but just one night? I don't want to be alone." She looked him in the eye for a long moment before he merely nodded. "Now get back to bed. You have a busy day tomorrow." She threw her cover over herself and put her head on one of his various pillows.

She didn't know how long she made it before she awoke screaming and shaking. This time though, something was different. She managed to feel through her haze that someone was holding her and rocking her gently. That was too much and Molly finally broke down for the first night in her life. Arthur merely held her tight until she drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

Molly woke up the next morning and knew she should probably start packing her bags. His arms were holding her close and her head rested on his chest. If Mrs. Claus walked in- she would be killed. They'd throw her out to the polar bears.

She tried to pull away, but again she must not be very good at being quiet because Arthur woke up. She shot out of the bed like a shot, wrapping her blanket around her shoulders to hide her pajamas. This was mortifying! "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'll go. I'm sorry."

"Are the nightmares always that bad?" he asked simply, an unusual frown on his face.

"I should really…" One look in his eyes and she knew it was going to come spilling out of her. "My whole life. I'm usually fine though. It's just- last night I- it won't happen again."

"No," he said confidently. "No, it won't." She nodded hastily, exiting and practically sprinting back to her room. That would be the end of that.

That was until she came back to her room at noon and found everything was gone. There was no sign she had been living there for four months. Mrs. Claus had found out. She was going to have to brush up on how to handle polar bears.

"He had it all moved to his this morning," she heard Steve's voice from behind her. "He went to Mom and Dad first thing this morning."

"Where is he going then?"

"Molly, this isn't really that hard to put together." She took a moment before a blush crept up on her. "We just wish you had told us so we could do it sooner. It's obvious you need him."

"I'm- wait. I'm not being evicted? Your mom… agreed to this. Your mom… who hates me."

Steve laughed. "She doesn't hate you, just so you know. She wants him to be happy. You being happy makes him happy. I'd show you to your new room, but I know you found your way there just fine last night." She blushed again. He couldn't help but laugh again as he left.

That night Molly hugged him tight. "I love you," she whispered.

He kissed her hair. "I love you too."

"Thank you."

"Don't even think about it." Molly couldn't help but smile. She knew he wasn't doing this for selfish, obvious reasons. He was doing this because she needed it. He was most likely sacrificing sleep and energy for her. She didn't have to worry about weakness with Arthur. He loved her no matter what.

"I got real lucky when I found you in those lights."

"I got even luckier."

Molly would like to say she never had another nightmare, but that wasn't true. She had many more. But he was there for every single one. They worked through it together. So much so that by Christmas morning the next year she fell asleep without him having a very happy dream. Of course that paled to what would happen when she woke up.


	2. Cookie Breaks

Cookie Breaks

Molly had taken to spending most of her day wandering the factory floor and checking in with all the elves as they went about their work. The elves still hadn't taken a real shine to her- being cautious of her presence. She couldn't blame them of course. One flight of fancy that sent her packing up to leave would cause this whole place to go nuclear. But she was getting really sick and frustrated of having to prove herself time and time again as someone Arthur deserved. She had enough trouble proving it to herself- she didn't need everyone else to add to that.

Bryony was always willing to talk with her though. And it was one particular March day that she was visiting her only elf friend that she had noticed it. "Excuse me a moment, dear," Bryony had said. She had then left her station to walk over to an elf that looked slightly behind and held her hand out. The elf took a long moment before looking down and placing half of a chocolate chip cookie in her hand. She then said a few words before depositing it in the trash can and returning to Molly.

"What was that about?"  
>"We can't have food on the floor. Imagine all the ways it could tarnish that paper. How would you feel if there were chocolate smears on your Christmas gift?" Molly merely looked at her. "It's also a factory rule. We have lunch and then get off around dinner. In the meantime no food is allowed."<p>

"Wait a second. So you don't get like a cookie break or something like that in-between? That's against all sorts of union rules!"

"We were around way before the unions, Molly. We've had this for centuries and rules are very hard to change around here."

"Well, it's not right that you guys don't get a break. Do you have a copy of the rules or something?" Bryony pulled one out of her desk and Molly spent the rest of the time examining it. It had been a while since she got to use her lawyer brain and it felt nice to be back in her old groove. Maybe she could help these elves out. They were obviously desperate if they were sneaking in chocolate chip cookies.

A change in the rules was pretty complicated though. First, the Christmas family sans the Santa had a vote and the majority had to agree to the change. Then it had to be taken to the current Santa who had to approve it. That part would be easy. But a majority vote meant three of four of the Christmases had to be on her side. That meant she needed to get either Mr. or Mrs. Christmas.

She met with Bryony the next day. "Okay, so Steve is easy enough. We just have to present him with statistics about productivity and how much more efficient we'll be even if we cut a half hour out every workday. Can you get a numbers elf- like Peter- on that? I know it'd be better if you asked as Head Elf since everyone hates me."

"They don't…hate you- they hate what you could do. You just have to show them your positives outweigh your negatives. This is a good way to start. I'll do it though."

"Alright, Grandsanta is all about tradition but I think we could sway him easily enough since this isn't technology related. I'll go visit him in the stables before dinner- when he's at his cheeriest. Arthur shouldn't be an issue either since it'll make all of you so happy. You and I will approach him together and if worse comes to worse I bat my eyes-"

"I get the feeling you're skipping ahead. You need a majority. Grandsanta and Steve aren't enough. You need either Mr. of Mrs. Christmas." Molly let out a groan. "You said things have been better since January!"

"I know! But that doesn't mean they'll actually agree with me! Just give me a bit to figure them out. Also, let's not bother Arthur about this until it's time for his approval. The last thing he needs to worry about is what we're up to."

The meeting with Grandsanta went much better than she hoped. He had honestly liked her even after the whole Thanksgiving incident- said she reminded him of his wife. He agreed with her about how things had become so different in terms of the number of elves and promised she would have his vote since she was so passionate about this.

Steve was also onboard after a short presentation Bryony and Molly chased him down for- using signs as he walked and attempted to do his job. He did comment offhand later that he had brought up the subject to Mr. and Mrs. Claus but they didn't seem as apt- and that was even without knowing her involvement.

Molly spent days with Bryony trying to come up with a good enough pitch that could get the two on her side. Arthur seemed to take notice of how busy she was but she had merely told him she found a project- which was true. It was about a week later that she was stopped by an elf in the hall.

"Is it true? Is it true you're trying to get the rules changed for us?"

"Of course it is. You guys work so hard to make so many people have a magical Christmas that I know you deserve to have at least a couple of minutes for a cookie or a cup of cocoa. And I am not stopping until I see this through!"

The elf smiled. "Let me know if you need any help Molly. You've got me on you team." Molly couldn't help but smile. This was the first time any elf other than Bryony had used her name.

"That's good to hear…"

"Bernard." And as it walked away it hit her. The Christmases may be able to argue her down or hold her back, but they couldn't stop the force of all the elves if they teamed up. She took off for Bryony's office.

"A letter writing campaign! We get everyone to send letters for a week- assign days- and send it to the Christmases. If everyone stands together we stand at least a shot!"

"Or they could get mad and go to Arthur about how you're causing mischief and put him in a tough spot. That's the exact opposite of our plan."

"We have to try Bryony. These guys know about what we're doing now. We can't- I'm not going to let anyone down again. If they go to Arthur I'll back off and try something else. I… I want to be able to make people happy too."

"Then let's get circulating. We've got letters to plan."

The elves seemed very much onboard with the plan as long as they didn't get in trouble (Molly promised to take all responsibility) and Arthur wasn't pestered by it since a malfunction with the Naughty and Nice List had him busier than usual (Molly would back off the second he was involved). Bryony didn't even have to come with her to some of the departments- they seemed receptive to her plan even if it was just her pitching it. Maybe she had a place here after all.

The week went without a hitch with at least a thousand letters getting mailed over every day. As far as Molly knew Mr. and Mrs. Christmas didn't bring it up to Arthur- not that they had time to. The List debacle meant he wasn't at dinner. Even she didn't get to see him much with how busy she was.

Friday after dinner she and Bryony did their pitch with to the gathered Christmases. They had everything- charts and graphs from Peter, live action demonstrations and testimonies by Bernard and some of his friends, and an argument of modern day laws she herself presented with her lawyer gusto. Everyone left but her as the family took their vote.

They were all waiting for her when she emerged from the dining room. "Four for four!" The room burst out into cheers. "When Arthur gets a free moment I will talk to him."

That free moment came Sunday when she found him in his old office looking at letters. The others has asked to go with her- do the pitch again—but she knew this one had to be just her.

"Hey, stranger." He turned and let out a tired smile. She took a seat across from him and took his hand as he opened his mouth. "I know what the next words out of your mouth are going to be, but they're not necessary. You have nothing to be sorry for. I've been keeping myself entertained."

He smiled a real smile at her. "I love you."

"I love you too, very much," she answered, kissing his forehead. She then noticed the letter pinned on a place of prominence of the wall.

"I look at it whenever I need a smile. It helps me when things get a little stressful- not that I don't love it! I do with absolutely all my heart! Being Santa-"

"Trust me, Arthur. I know. And as much as I know you're trying to escape business, I have something I want to discuss with you." He gave her a nod and she pulled out the doctrine for a rule change she had put together. "It's a proposal for cookie breaks once a day for the elves. I got the four votes from the Christmas family and now I just need your approval. I'm sure I don't have to tell you how happy it'd make them. And they do work awfully hard."

"Oh, I know that. I've been trying to get that rule changed for years. You actually got my mom and dad to agree to this? And Steve?" She let out a nod proudly and he pulled out a pen. He looked at her as he signed it. "You're pretty amazing, you know that."

"I'm just trying to be like you. It gave me something to do and it helped me get familiar with a lot of the elves. And I think your parents might hold a little more respect for me." He handed her the paper. "Thank you, Mr. Claus."

"You know, if you become-"

"When I become Mrs. Claus. I know we haven't really… but I'd like for it be a when."

"I would like that too. You're going to be the most active Mrs. Claus yet."

"I can't let those years of law school just fall apart and go to waste. I put up a good argument." She went to get up but stopped herself. "You want me to sit here with you for while, keep you company. I know letter writing is your thing, but-"

"Of course you can stay. I'll even let you write one. Believe it or not, I enjoy spending time with you."

"I'm glad." She kissed him before opening an envelope and reading, one hand in his. Neither noticed all the elves peeking in through the door. Sure, Molly had been there for them, but more importantly she was there for him.

The next week cookie breaks became official and the elves received from two-thirty to three off to have a snack or simply get a break. Molly was greeted with hugs and smiles whenever she walked the factory floor- and that seemed to make Arthur smile more as well.

"So, it looks like she's going to be our new Mrs. Claus," Peter commented.

"I hope so," Bryony added.

"Well… that means she becomes a Christmas. Then we only have to get her to convince Grandsanta and Steve for things to go through." Bryony shot him a look. "I'm just observing."

"I like her. She's a Claus who understands clauses," Bernard joked. The elves would approach Molly over the years many times for different projects. But she had a very important one at this moment- being the second person at the North Pole to know the name of every elf.


	3. Damage Control

**Damage Control**

Steve cracked his knuckles and knocked on the door. It was time to take care of some of the essential clean-up work of this Christmas. "Come in!" a voice answered in a sharp monotone. Steve opened the door and strolled into a large boardroom where several elderly men were sitting around a large table. They all raised their eyebrows at him and his attire as he slapped a poster down on the table.

It was probably the most un-flattering picture of Molly Scrooge that could be found. It was obviously from some sort of party- blurry as she had tried to duck out of frame at the last moment. Her hair was still red and long. But it was the font that really had him worried. MISSING DECEMBER 25th. MENTALLY UNSTABLE. CALL THE FOLLOWING IF FOUND. "I'd like to speak to you about these. The department sent me."

"It's an awful shame, really. The girl was a bright young worker who looked as if she had a comfortable future ahead of her. After Thanksgiving though she just started this rapid decline- cut her hair and left early until finally she snapped. She quit and told us she was headed for the North Pole to be with Santa Claus because she loved him."

Molly had conveniently left that part out of her tale. She had mentioned that she had just fled Chicago so he had come to clear out things in terms of her apartment since she wasn't leaving Arthur's side for a moment while he was still in bad shape. Then he had noticed the dozens of posters.

"Is there any word on the girl?" Now Steve knew there was two ways he could play this. He could be thoughtful, methodical, and build an alibi for the ages. Or he could have fun. And judging by all the stress this past month had been, he figured Molly owed him some fun.

"Yes. We found her this morning in a freezer of an ice cream shop. She claimed to have reached her destination. Her mental state is very fragile right now. She's been put in the very best hospital for this sort of thing." The group reacted with a sort of horror that made him angry deep inside. They obviously cared more about themselves than for her. He was glad she was tucked up at the North Pole safe and sound.

"Do- do they think… I mean given her background…"

Steve had to keep himself from hitting the man right there. "It's too hard to say right now. She's very far gone. Her delusion has taken over her entire existence. She probably would think you all were elves. I honestly doubt that you will ever see Molly Scrooge again."

"We should have seen it coming," was the only reply he got. This hadn't ended up being very fun at all. These gentlemen were just making them angry. He could literally see them writing her off their minds as he said his good-byes and exited. He was almost certain Molly would never be mentioned in this office again.

He moved everything out of her apartment and had the elves take care of any and all posters scattered around the city. Molly Scrooge had effectively vanished off the face of the earth… and no one seemed to care.

Steve almost had a feeling of melancholy about him until he saw his brother sitting in his bed as she brought him a hot chocolate. Only she slipped on the icy floor and ended up spilling it all over herself. They both paused for a moment before bursting out into hysterical laughter. Steve couldn't help but laugh himself.

Molly Scrooge wasn't just cared about- she was loved by the most loving person on the earth. Steve could see now she would never be alone… quite the opposite in fact. She finally wasn't alone. She had Arthur, her brother, and he felt soon enough the entire Christmas clan.

Molly Scrooge was home. Disaster successfully averted.


	4. Teddy Bears

_Hey… so it's been a while. But with the purchase and watching of an Arthur Christmas DVD the spirit has moved me to continue my work on this story. I had so many ideas and I'd like to keep going. Thank you for your patience._

**Teddy Bears**

Arthur knew Molly had had what was a very unhappy childhood. But sometimes when a detail would flit by as is it was no big deal at all to her he'd have to pause and remind himself that now she was safe and happy. That scared little girl seemed to only show up with the nightmares, but during the day Molly showed no evidence that anything was dragging her down.

But one July evening while they were taking a walk through the workshop she said something that he just couldn't brush off as easily. They were in the stuffed section, when she idly picked up a soft teddy bear.

"Is everything alright with it?" Arthur asked at her guarded expression. She quickly put it down and gave him a smile.

"No. No. It's perfect. Sorry. I just never had a teddy bear before. No big deal." And just like always she shook it off immediately and kept walking. Arthur followed, but for some reason this one just stuck in his head. And as he slipped his hand into her outstretched one, he made a decision about what he was going to do about it.

Now no Santa had made toys himself for generations- they simply couldn't compete with the high tech of some of the gifts the North Pole elves were capable of. So Arthur was about to embark on the mission of making his very first toy.

That evening he sat down with the entire stuffed division that had all willingly volunteered to spend the night helping him without hesitation. So there Arthur sat at a workbench- a pile of cotton and some fabric in front of him.

"Bryony took care of her?" he asked one of the elves, Lucy.

"She's got the radio. They went out ice-skating. She wished you could have joined them, but there was an emergency in this division that required immediate attention," she chimed. Arthur gave a nod. He hated lying to Molly, but he guessed this really wasn't that much of a lie.

"Then let's get started." He held out his hand and a needle and thread were put in his palm.

It was a long process. It was a challenge too to say the least. It turns out Arthur definitely wasn't suited for a permanent position with the rest of the elves. His end product had a head that was a little too large and fell to one side. One arm was longer than the other. It has mismatched buttons for eyes, but it had been too late before the elves caught the mistake. But he was sitting there, fluffy and adorable if you tilted your head slightly to the right.

He then proceeded with the finishing touch. Lucy handed him a small heart-shaped patch with his name printed on it. He haphazardly stitched it over the chest of the bear and gave a large smile. "Well, it's not that good. But I think it'll make her happy."

"Arthur, this is going to do more than that," Lucy argued. He merely shrugged. It wasn't that good.

He left the bear with the elves and headed to his room where she was waiting, reading a book on baking. "I didn't know you cooked."

"I cook. I don't bake. But your mom wants to give me a few lessons. This is big and I'm trying not to screw it up."

"You won't." He took a seat next to her. "How was ice-skating?"

"I beat Bryony is a race!" she exclaimed. "I'm positive she let me win, but it felt good with all the grief she gives me. I wish you could have seen it, but don't you dare feel bad! Did you get everything sorted?"

"Yeah. They're trying some new models. In fact, I could use some advice. You up for a visit tomorrow morning?"

"Absolutely!" She set her book to the side and gave him a kiss on his forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too."

It was a rough night. In fact, it had been a rough couple of nights that week. But that morning the two of them entered to the greeting of every elf. "Hello Lucy!" Molly called. "Michael, Ludwig, Steven."

"Kevin." She winced, but he waved her off. "Hey, last time it was Devon. You're getting closer as far as I'm concerned." The two made their way to a bench in the back.

"Alright, now you'll have to be honest," he said as he reached under to pull out his creation.

"You should never expect anything less." He placed the bear in her hands and she took a moment.

"I made him… for you." She looked at him before turning her attention back to the bear, carefully turning him over. "I know he's not that good, but it was my first attempt. I just couldn't stand the thought of you not having ever had a teddy bear." She ran her fingers over the stitched heart. "That… I know it's really corny but that's because you have mine. My heart that is." He stood uncomfortable for a moment before he heard the small sob and his heart shattered. She didn't like it. He knew it wasn't good enough for her. "I'm sorry. I just-"

"Don't you dare apologize!" she mustered as she continued to cry, cuddling the bear to her chest. "I love him. I love him almost as much as I love you." Before he could respond she pulled him in for one of those deep kisses that still sent his mind whirling. She hugged him tight. "Thank you."

His brain searched for the words to say what he was feeling, but in the end he had to settle for the closest that came to him. "You're welcome. I love you, Molly Scrooge."

He felt her smile. She pulled back, arms still around his neck. "And I love you, Arthur Christmas."

The bear would take up a permanent residence on the nightstand of Molly, helping fend away the nightmares and wake her up with a smile each morning. In return she kept that heart safe, guarded, and most importantly loved.


End file.
